Shooting has been the most potent weakness for the Massachusetts men’s basketball team throughout the season. At time of writing, the Minutemen (12-19, 7-11 Atlantic 10) rank 361st in all of Division I in three-point efficiency, shooting 27.8 percent from deep. This poor shooting was in full effect against Loyola Chicago, as UMass shot 1-of-21 from beyond the arc in its final regular season game.
The Minutemen missed their first 20 attempted three-pointers with Jaylen Curry making the lone strike with 2:30 left in the second half, trailing 72-46. Curry, UMass’ most efficient shooter (35.9 percent), went 1-of-7 from deep in the game.
“I think we just missed a lot of open shots,” Rahsool Diggins said. “I think we got a lot of good shots that didn’t just fall, I just think it was a tough day.”
Diggins, another expected sharpshooter for the Minutemen, shot 0-of-10 from beyond the arc. This game was unexpected from the senior guard who has matched the program record for threes made in a game (eight) twice this season.
Initially, the lack of shooting wasn’t an issue for UMass because of the defensive aggression it showed to start the game. The Minutemen were very attentive on the perimeter defensively, aware of drive-and-kick options and mucking up passing lanes to create a flurry of turnovers.
With 7:22 left in the first half, the Ramblers (21-10, 12-6 A-10) took a timeout with a narrow 14-13 lead. Up to that point, Loyola had six turnovers to match its six made field goals, making for a very inefficient offense.
“I give those guys credit, they came out early and jumped on us,” head coach Drew Valentine said. “We called that timeout and I thought Jalen DeLoach [and] Francis Nwaokorie, those two guys in particular on the interior, did a really good job at that moment of stabilizing us and from that point we took off.”
Since UMass couldn’t find the bottom of the basket from beyond the arc, its offense was neutralized when the Ramblers committed to holding down the paint. Loyola then found its stride offensively, using off-ball movement to create open passing lanes rather than kickout passes to stagnant shooters.
Jayden Dawson went on a 7-0 run by himself out of the timeout for the Ramblers, knocking down a pair of threes along the way. Sheldon Edwards Jr. piled on another triple, followed by a second-chance dunk by DeLoach after a missed three.
The spacing that Loyola’s newfound shooting touch provided allowed its offense to be versatile. This stretched the Minutemen defense thin, as they struggled to cover the size and off-ball movement of the Ramblers.
Des Watson continued the shooting show for the visitors with a triple on a fast break, giving Loyola a 34-19 lead five minutes after Valentine called a crucial timeout. UMass went into halftime down 34-21 with a clear look of deflation on the home sideline, but the Ramblers weren’t done raining yet.
After a quick layup to begin the second half from Miles Rubin, Edwards Jr. and Dawson struck a pair of triples. This put Loyola ahead by 21 points, doubling up the Minutemen’s score. From there on, the Ramblers simply played with their food as Edwards Jr. and Dawson remained relentless from beyond the arc.
That duo combined for nine made threes in this game, providing the spacing necessary for the visiting offense to flow in all facets. Dawson led the team in scoring with 17 while Edwards Jr. had 12 with his only made shots coming from deep.
UMass will quickly attempt to shake this game from its memory as it heads into its final A-10 tournament, starting with No. 14 La Salle in the first round on Wednesday, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. That game will be available to watch on USA Network.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
